One of my most common regrets in teaching is when I see signs of a student problem and I let it fester rather than work with others to solve the problem. A child may demonstrate small signs of a deeper issue, and rather than deal with it right away, I wait hoping it's just a phase or that it will go away, yet typically the kinds of signs I am thinking of don't go away. It's typically best to deal with problems while those problems are small rather than wait until they get big and much more difficult to solve.
There are other reasons why we let problems fester. We may fear bringing the problem up to people or cultures where problems are not welcome and those that bring up the issues are seen as the problem rather than the problem they are brining up. We may believe that a problem that we notice doesn't belong to us and it would be overstepping our role to mention or try to solve the problem. In general, however, if you see signs of a problem, you should speak up and act.
There's a right reaction time for every problem. In most cases, it is advantageous to take some time to think deeply on your own and with others about the problem and how to solve it. Without problem analysis, solutions are not as good as they might be, and without collaborative problem solving, a problem generally reoccurs--most problems profit from collaborative analysis and solution.
There are best mindsets too when it comes to problem solving. To shame and blame typically only makes the problem more confusing and greater while to have a positive "we can fix this" mindset serves to solve the problem and strengthen the team too. And, our attitudes matter too. No one likes a know it all when it comes to problem solving and no one benefits from negativity, judgement, or inaccuracies either. Problem solving benefits from transparency, precision, positivity, good analysis, and collaboration.
I actually love to solve problems--I like looking at all the details to figure out what happened, how we can solve the problem, and what we might do to prevent problems like this in the future. Like everyone, however, I profit from working with others who bring all kinds of good perspective and skill to problem solving too.
In the end, the lesson is to not let problems fester and to make every effort to deal with problems up front while those problems are small and easy to fix. Onward.
